Dragons extend 'exciting' young gun amid halfback axing

Joshua Mayne

Dragons extend 'exciting' young gun amid halfback axing image

The Dragons have signed a young playmaker to a contract extension amid reports Lachlan Ilias has been dropped from their NRL side.

On Tuesday morning, the club confirmed Lyhkan King-Togia has inked a new deal.

The 19-year-old – currently on a developmental contract – will progress into the Red V's top 30 squad for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

King-Togia is also in line to feature in Magic Round this weekend, with coach Shane Flanagan set to name him at No. 7 over current halfback Ilias, per News Corp.

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It comes after a string of underwhelming performances from the former Rabbitohs player, with the Dragons currently 10th on the ladder with a 3-4 record.

King-Togia has made four first-grade appearances to date following his NRL debut in Round 24 last year.

Playing at five-eighth, the Dalby Devils junior has impressed in the NSW Cup this season.

Across seven matches, he has scored three tries and racked up nine try assists.

"Locking down Lyhkan for another couple of seasons is exciting for the club," Flanagan said.

"He got a taste of first grade at the end of last year and has been playing good footy to start this season for our NSW Cup team.

"He’s an exciting young half on the up and we’re looking forward to watching him continue to improve over the coming seasons."

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King-Togia will join a host of talented Dragons academy graduates to move to the club’s top 30 next year, including Loko Pasifiki Tonga, Jacob Halangahu, Dylan Egan and Hamish Stewart.

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News currently based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and a journalist at Ministry of Sport. Joshua specialises in rugby league, motorsport and tennis. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.